Oklahoma City Thunder sign coach Mark Daigneault to multiyear extension
Thunder executive vice president and general manager Sam Presti announced the team signed Daigneault to a multiyear extension on Wednesday.
Terms of the deal were not released.
The Thunder weren't expected to be particularly good in 2022-23 after finishing with the NBA's fourth-worst record in 2021-22, coupled with a foot injury suffered by No. 2 overall pick Chet Holmgren last summer forcing him to miss the entire season.
Daigneault, however, nearly directed Oklahoma City to a playoff berth, and he finished second in NBA Coach of the Year voting.
The Thunder went 40-42 in the regular season before beating the New Orleans Pelicans in a Play-In game. Oklahoma City's season ended with a loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves in a second Play-In game.
Their 16-win improvement from the 2021-22 season was the second-biggest jump in the NBA behind the Sacramento Kings' 18-win increase.
Daigneault is entering his fourth season at the helm at Oklahoma City after serving as a Thunder assistant in 2019-20 - the last season the team made the playoffs. Prior to working on the Thunder bench, he spent five seasons as head coach of the Oklahoma City Blue, the team's G League affiliate.
Next order of business for Daigneault is a playoff berth and series win - something the Thunder haven't achieved since 2015-16, when they lost to the Golden State Warriors in seven games in the Western Conference finals.